Former San Luis Obispo County resident Kimberly Victor’s nonprofit Fashion for a Purpose is set to be reborn in Nipomo as Lumina Days—a fashion show that ultimately helps survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence. “This event has always been in South County,” Lumina Alliance Development Director Brandee Brown-Puett said. “We do have our transitional […]
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Vacancy: Whoever wins Buellton’s upcoming special election will help decide what Parks Plaza will become
In the final weeks of his first term as a Buellton City Council member, Dave King lost his 2012 re-election campaign and gained something he “wouldn’t have traded for anything.” It was a new job he couldn’t have accepted if he remained on the dais. “That was kind of a godsend to me,” said King, […]
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Lompoc police apprehend alleged serial shoplifter of Ulta merch worth $150,000-plus
Suspected of multiple thefts at Ulta Beauty branches across the country, Jennifer Hurtado was recently arrested in Lompoc for allegedly stealing more than $7,000 worth of cosmetics from three different Central Coast stores. According to a July 10 statement from the Lompoc Police Department, Ulta Beauty management told local authorities that Hurtado is linked to […]
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Guadalupe takes steps to hold future farmers market
LeRoy Park should be the site for the Cosecha Guadalupe Farmers Market by January 2026, if everything goes according to plan. On July 8, the Guadalupe City Council temporarily waived the park’s $650 per day rental fee for the market’s first six months—clearing the way for the market to apply to become a certified farmers […]
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County supervisors comment on recent ICE activity across the Central Coast
Santa Barbara County supervisors echoed one mutual frustration while discussing the July 10 ICE raids at Glass House Farms sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo: a lack of information. “I think this the first time in 15 years that I don’t even know who to go to for information. That’s the scary thing,” 5th District Supervisor […]
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Political Watch: July 17, 2025
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) released a statement about the July 10 ICE raid in Carpinteria. “Today, I was at Casitas Pass Road in Carpinteria where ICE was conducting a raid using disproportionate displays of force against local farmworkers and our agricultural community,” Carbajal said in his statement. “As a member of Congress […]
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Unroll your yoga mats at CalNAM for a multi-sensory mindfulness experience
Trees and mountains come in many forms at Solvang’s California Nature Art Museum (CalNAM). Paintings. Photographs. Yoga poses. Unlike the various artworks that occupy the museum’s walls, Santa Ynez-based yoga instructor Lori Shirran’s new program takes up the two-story venue’s floorspace. “Right now we’re in the upper gallery. Depending on the number of participants—when we […]
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Madre Fire consumes 80,000-plus acres across the Cuyama Valley
It took less than a day for a wildfire near New Cuyama to grow into California’s largest of the year by acreage so far. While the cause of the Madre Fire remains under investigation, fire officials traced back its point of origin to the early afternoon of July 2, along Highway 166 in the Cuyama […]
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Santa Maria youth respond to stepped-up ICE enforcement
Fed up with the federal government’s policies and their impact on communities like his in Santa Maria, 17-year-old Cesar Vasquez recently shifted the focus of his organization, La Cultura Del Mundo. “We are here to protect all immigrants—no matter where you are from, who you believe in, who you love, or where you stand,” Vasquez […]
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Santa Barbara County ag grosses $2 billion in 2024
Nearly half of Santa Barbara County’s ag gross revenue for 2024 stems from a single fruit. According to the county Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, strawberry producers raked in $860 million last year. That’s more than 40 percent of the county’s total gross production value—which the department’s 2024 crop and livestock report listed as approximately $2.01 billion. […]
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Proving continuity: The Salinan Tribe sifts through history, aims for federal recognition
Century-old photographs, handwritten letters, baptism records, and other primary documents confirmed what Michael Erin Woody and the rest of the Salinan Tribe of Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties already knew. “This is a continuous group of Indians that have been here since before European contact, and we’re still here,” the tribal council member said. […]
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Political Watch: July 10, 2025
• On July 3, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) released a statement on the passage of the Republican reconciliation bill. Carbajal voted against the bill, while opposing its unprecedented cuts to essential programs like Medicaid and food assistance, according to Carbajal’s office. In his statement, Carbajal said the bill “puts billionaires first and working […]
